From applesauce to curry...

Nothing like going sideways on food prep and documenting it. Today I got an itch to cook, but mostly just vegetables. Some I over salted, others I wilted. And yet the majority were just straight up delicious.

Here is what I started with:

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, Swiss chard and kale.

But then after some of this...

Chopped Brussels sprouts, add olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt n peppa, and turkey bacon. Roast!

Take the ribs out of the kale and reuse the produce bag as a shaker! Olive oil, salt and pepper! (This one, WAY over salted!)

Lay the kale on a cookie sheet, bake for 15 minutes!

In the same genius produce bag, add cumin or curry powder to the chopped cauliflower. Pan roast in a hot oven!

The swiss chard creation was uninteresting, and I probably won't eat it until tomorrow. The other creations ended up looking like this:

Roasted and flavored to perfection!

Although my kitchen light is yellow, this food is so much more edible looking in real life. Just ask Moto...

After the immersion in roasting and grilling, I went big and decided to go with chicken curry. I am not adept enough to create the sauce, but the Thai Kitchen sure made a good one!

Add mostly healthy curry stuff, with chopped scallions, cilantro, carrots, onion and broccoli to simmering chicken!

Altogether and delicious!

Now that I think about it, that's a lot of veggies at once...and it still looks yellow...

Transition to the fruit option of the night: APPLESAUCE!

Golden delicious and Jonathan apples, if I remember correctly. Plus 1.5 cups of water.

They get squishy super fast!

This thing is awesome!! My mom and aunt say it belonged to my great-grandmother Christensen and now I am super pumped to have it to use now!

Just squish!! And add...

Lemon zest and some juice, cinnamon and nutmeg.

FOR. THE. WIN!!

So that's it. All fresh foods, only processed item was the curry sauce and everything tasted awesome!!

Fresh is Best Washington Produce

School got out at the beginning of June and the summer munchies set in. I don't thrive under a lack of structure, so I decided to hurry and prep my food just like I would during the school year! No packaged foods, everything as fresh as possible, and ready to eat so when the cravings hit, I was ready for battle!

Veggies to keep on hand:

Baby Carrots

Sugar Snap Peas

Celery

Chopped cucumbers

Fresh Spinach

Chopped bell peppers

Chopped lettuce

Extras:

Boiled eggs

Cottage cheese

Greek yogurt

Kalamata Olives

Pita pockets

Grilled red peppers

Grilled tofu, chicken

The more I have prepped, the better off I will be. I have found that the olives add great flavor to any dish as well as good fats! I like to have things prepped so when I get a moment away from my work, I know I have a safe and healthy option to dive into!

A great local option for produce is Washington Produce! Such an amazing option to purchasing fruits and veggies! I picked up my first order today, all of which arrived in the store today! You can order organic, pre-cut, and tons of local options! And I am about 99% sure I saved A LOT of money compared to the grocery store!

Another work break, another cooking binge

Well my iPhone doesn't take the most amazing photos, everything seems to look a little yellow or green, not that appetizing at all now that I think about it. But, the food has been delicious, and since I have more than 7 minutes to eat them, it's worth blogging about.

Sometimes, the best snack is some Go Lean Kashi cereal with almond milk, a banana, fresh blackberries, cinnamon, nutmeg and greek yogurt. Purrrfect!

A visit to Stell Coffee and Tea for a perfect soy/cinnamon/honey latte, and a PBnJ scone!

Pancakes!! I took 4 of these on my long Sunday ride as a snack and they were great!

1 cup each of the following: whole wheat flower; white flower; greek yogurt; almond milk; berries; along with: 1 banana; 2 eggs; 1 tsp baking soda; pinch of salt. Excellent! And so fast. Made these up on the giant griddle while I washed the dishes!

Avocado. Cilantro. Eggs. Cheese. These are some of my favorites. So why not put them all together? I toasted a whole wheat english muffin. I grew up on fried egg sandwiches, so I like to bring them back from time to time with a some cilantro, tomato slices, and sprinkling of cheese.

All quite simple, very basic, and quite delicious. For a little extra flare, I convinced Brian to go out to dinner, and our starter was one of the most excellent bruschetta. EVER. Goat cheese, fresh basil, and that super excellent balsamic vinegar!

Down Time equals awesome food prep!

With weekend plans getting shuffled and a new focus of rejuvenating and getting re-grounded, I decided it was time to cook. :)

I really enjoy spending time in the kitchen and I like to prep as much food as possible so my week days fly by. I decided to make stove-top steel cut oats Carson Miller style (added cinnamon, almond milk, molasses) along side a steaming pot of Quinoa for the weekend!

The oats were awesome! I have been doing them in the crockpot, but this was much better, not nearly and gooey. Plus they were ready in 40 minutes! Added fresh strawberries and some almond slices, dialed!

The Quinoa cooks up best with some vegetable or chicken stock and added spices, so i went for 30/70 stock to water and have tasty and fluffy quinoa ready for dinner!

I grabbed another awesome recipe from Stephanie - fellow foodie/cyclists/seeker of fun! I will keep the recipe explanation to her site, but this was so easy! I had a dish full of cooked potatoes, carrots, onion and broccolli and I didn't know what to do with it! It now has a home. I added a bit of feta too, because I am addicted to cheese. Yes, I know, I probably should cut back. :)

Enjoying the Holidays without paying for it!

I discussed this topic in my last Food post, and it seemed to suit me well over the holidays! I had a few items I was so excited to eat and savor with my family and friends, it really made the wait worthwhile.

What I have found over the past few years is that if I completely lock the cupboards and don't allow myself any sort of sweets or fats, I end up cracking in a huge way and going way over board. Making the damage much higher than if I had adopted the approach of moderation. There was a time I was so strict with my intake, that I would flip out and buy a baugette and block of cheese and mow it down on a park bench solo! Gone are those days with the slice of cheese here, spoonful of nutella there, just enough of a taste that it will hold me over.

I also have learned to LOVE many different fruits and vegetables. Pears and strawberries are some of the sweetest creations around, and nothing beats a ripe apple with some natural peanut butter on it. Great healthy snack can usually be found in the produce section of the market!

Here's one of my most favorite holiday treats: Brie en Croute!

There are thousands of recipes out there for savory or sweet baked brie. And they are super easy! It is a great cheese because a little goes a long ways! If you invite me to a holiday dinner in 2011, I just might bring one of these along. But until then, I will just research the best recipes for the occasion!

Prepping for the holiday sauces, soups, and sweets!

The holidays tend to stress me out because more than 1 meal quickly gets taken out of my control and spirals into a a mess of empty calories, high fat levels and self-deprication.

Here are a few things I have done this week - yes I know, it is only Tuesday but at least I am trying - to attempt to stay on track!

I made all my usual things. Sundays I usually make a crockpot of oats. Check. I also make a gluten free carb like rice, kasha or quinoa. Check. I chopped all the veggies, grilled tofu and stocked the bin with all the favorite fruits. Just as I would if I was heading to work all day.

Since I have school holidays being a teacher, I am sticking to my normal eating routine and not having any extra goodies close by, so I won't be tempted. I am also thinking ahead to Christmas Eve where we have been invited for a delicious dinner. My thoughts: Don't go big, go moderate. Breads and jams, mashed potatoes and pie will be just fine. I just won't eat a lot of them! Small portions are the best and if I did eat a lot I would feel horrible! My body just wouldn't be used to them!

When I go to these dinners, and I need to bring a dish, I usually opt for a stellar salad. I may splurge and add candied walnuts, but our salads have a reputation for being huge and delicious. Multiple types of lettuce; cherry tomatoes; avocado; craisins; nuts; feta; purple onions with dressing as an option. When I serve up, half my plate is salad and it is filled with nutrients and good fats! Plus it helps fill me up with the good stuff.

So don't worry about getting off your plan. Start thinking ahead now with the challenges you will be faced with and create an exit strategy! And realize all your hard work will pay off and that one meal won't ruin your objectives.

I also think about a dish maybe moms coffee cake or grandmas pumpkin pie. Now those I will eat! Not too much but part of the holidays is sharing, and these important ladies put hard work into making a delicious classic which they know I love. So I plan on enjoying a piece with them and savoring the flavors of Christmas. After I go for my bike ride. :)

A week's worth of food

I thought winter would show up by now, so for the past month or so I have been prepping crockpot food for lunch. But that means I have to heat it up and eat something HOT while I am outside in the HEAT doing lunch duty. It's all good though, because it is delicious!

This week I went for Minestrone Soup - and I was not disappointed! I probably should have let the beans cook a bit longer, but oh well! Being on a Gluten Free option recently, I put rice pasta in, keeping with the theme.

I also cracked and made Gluten Free Cornbread! I wasn't about to make that from scratch however, way too many odd ingredients that I just do not have. A little legwork and research found me Bob's Red Mill and it worked out perfectly!

After an extremely long bike ride, which of course left me totally wasted and starving, this was awesome to come home to! No prep, good calories, REAL food, ready and waiting!

If your nor prepared, you will crack! Or at least I will...

I had the privilage of attending the Redlands Tri Club monthly meeting last night to talk about racing, training, and coaching! Kylie asked me a few questions about my most favorite thing EVER! FOOD! How to stay on track, stave off the wants and callings of the "bad" foods! One of the easiest ways I have found to stay on track is to plan ahead! If I make it half way through the day, and run out of food, I'm running to the teachers lounge or closest Mexican food place for some grub!

This is ALL the food I packed for today! I have 8 hours of work, and 2 hours on the bike, before I get back to home-base. There is no way I will eat ALL of these "snacks" but they will last me through the week. All things that GREW or in there near-virgin form! Nuts, veggies, some hummus along side crockpot black beans, salad, and brown rice.

Now I REALLY do not have any excuses for grabbing the junk food!

Just keep it simple!

Every weekend is pretty much the same. Up before the sun, eat on the run while getting ready to ride or heading to a race. This weekend I had the luxury of racing after 1pm! Although this did force me to miss my 2:30pm coffee encounter, it did allow me to sleep in and eat at a table!

Now people were asking me what in the world i got going on here! It isn't part of any crazy plan or diet, just some of the things that make me feel full and strong and capable of tackling the days duties on the bike!

Of course the best coffee from Stell Coffee!
Then a banana, strawberries, greek yogurt, random granola, and almond milk
On the plate we have egg whites with spinach and feta! YUM! with a side of sliced avocado and cherry tomatoes.

Most of these things I have in stock all the time, everything low on the processing level, natural and simple. The hardest part was getting the egg whites in the pan without any yellows!

So eating a balanced breakfast isnt as hard as it seems! Although an Eggo and a pop tart may be a bit faster, your gonna feel a little bit more satisfied if you take a few minutes, and grab something fresh!

Eat whatever you want! sometimes...

It's Thanksgiving ok, and chances are you could be away from home. And the social faux pas of hiding your lunch cooler under the table and bringing out your pre-made Tupperware oddities, is just too destructive!

Instead, load up on the salad (hopefully the cooks were kind enough to leave the dressing on the side) and search for Clean veggies with a lot of flavor! Find those good cuts of turkey and if they are cooked just right, you wont even need to bother with the gravy! Watch out for those breads and white carbs though, yikes! Looking at potatoes, hopefully there is a yam option that hasn't been bastardized by marshmallows and brown sugar (never understood that one). And trust me, I can make some killer mashed potatoes from scratch, but I would only about 1/4 cup, once a year. What makes things so delicious??? BUTTER! ; )

So don't go into the holiday season about to commit social suicide or create that high level of guilt that will ravage you for days to come, be calm, cool and collected and remember, its JUST ONE MEAL!! That meal alone, will not make you squishy!

YAWN....

WOW...what a blogging snooze-fest this has been! I am even feeling let down! Lame-sauce!

With work/coaching/training all in FULLLLLLLL swing, eating and food prep has become condenscend and sporatic. Both quite bad! I have found a few secrets along the way, that have helped eleviate some of the stress associated with Calories and caloric density when i just can not prepare REAL food!

Pictured here is a meal from Amy's! Awesome stuff! You can find many Organic meals, most are WELL under 300 calories, and if a grain is included such as rice, it is brown or whole wheat! Sodium content is low as well. This one's protein is tofu, but I am pretty sure you can buy them with meat as well. Another GREAT easy meal is one made by Helen's Kitchen!! Excellent stuff! Now I haven't seen many selections of these in the standard grociery stores, but I know here locally Clarkes carries them and I think Vons...YUMMY!!

Dinner salad packed with WOW: Goji berries; avocado; spinach; cherry tomatoes' peppers; papitas and some GOOD cheese....can't go wrong! And you can eat the WHOLE mixing bowl worth of it

Lunch packed with Things That Grew

Grab your favorite veggies! Here we had cucumbers, tomatoes and avocado with a little salt on them. Ezekiel muffins (AWESOME bread selection) with egg and tomatoe with some tofu (or your favorite) cheese! Easy, light, and HEALTHY!! On the side a banana sliced (we figured that weighs in at a whopping 109 calories) plus some fresh strawberries covering 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt! Drizzle some Agave nectar on top and BAM! Dessert!

And for some Delicious Desert on the go?!?!?!?! Trader Joe's PB & J bar. Although a friend said it has POTATO CHIPS in it (erm...i used to put them IN my PBnJ in grade school...) Excellent cap to a long day of work and training with that excellent dark chocolate to cap it off!

DESSERT that won't kill you!

I don't know about you, but in the past three weeks I have found myself attending at LEAST 15 events where the food has been out of control. Whether it be graduation parties, banquets for school, birthdays or pool-side barbeques, my quickly growing mid-section has been sabaged!!

I have tried taking my own food, eating before I go, or just sitting in a corner not eating, chewing on a piece of grass or eating gum. Don't threaten me with a good time! So instead of freaking out, I decided I should contribute a healthy option that won't freak people out!

Enter PARFAIT!!

SUPER easy!

Step ONE: Buy your favorite organic/healthy/tree-hugger granola. Fill cup 1/3 full

Step TWO: Select the ripest/brightest/juiciest in season fruits like berries, kiwi, peach etc! Chop, mix, layer 1/3

Step THREE: Get some 0% fat Greek Yogurt (trader joes or local hippie store) and mix with some Lemon CURD...just to give a little extra flavor and bite! The mixing also makes the yogurt smoother! Layer for the top 1/3

Step FOUR: Using a hand peeler, shave some 72% chocolate on top for a garnish..

EAT!!!!

New Recipes!!

I have embraced....Vegan Food....

Recently I was given the Book THRIVE: The Vegan Nutrion Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by a friend I randomly met in a coffee shop in Mammoth. The book is written by Brendan Brazier, pro Ironman triathlete. I could explain all the ins and outs of his theories, but I need to work.

In a nutshell, stress comes in all forms and a huge stress is nutritional, so clean it up.

This is a BRIEF rundown of one day of eating off his plan.

BREAKFAST: TOASTED APPLE CINNAMON CEREAL

1/2 Apple, Diced

1 Cup oats - or sprouted quinoa

1/2 cup diced almonds (i used soaked)

1/2 ground flazseed

1/2 cup hemp protein

1/2 cup unhulled seseme seeds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1.5 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp stevia

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup hemp oil (I used olive oil)

1/4 cup molasses

2 Tbsp Apple juice

Combine all dry ingredients. In seperater dish blend liquids. Combine liquid and dry ingredients, mixing well.

Preheat 250 degrees.

Spread on a baking tray lighlty oiled.

Bake for 1 hour

I served the granola with diced strawberries and rice or almond milk. Super good!! And really filling!.

SNACK: SMOOTHIE

GINGER PEAR SMOOTHIE

1 Banana

1/2 pear cored

2 cups cold water plus ice

1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1Tbsp hemp protein

1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger

Makes two servings.

The hemp protein makes it a bit on the green side, but the taste is great! Excellent for a hot afternoon!!

DINNER: ADZUKI BEAN QUINOA SESAME PIZZA

Crust:

1 cup cooked (presoaked) Adzuki beans

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 cup ground sesame seeds

1/4 cup coconut oil or hemp oil (I used olive oil...I don't like coconut!!)

2 Tbsp dulse flakes

In a food processor, mix all together well. Lightly oil a pan. Lay "dough" out to about 1/4 inch thick. The book said nothing about cooking the crust alone, but i SHOULD HAVE!! Put in oven for at least 10 minutes....unless you want to make it raw.

Topping:

I cucumber sliced

1/2 onion diced

Handful dulse flakes

1 cup bean sprouts

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup chopped green onions

Even after baking for 40 minutes, these toppings held their shape and moisture!!

SAUCE: SWEET PEPPER HEMP PESTO

2 cloves garlic

2 red ell peppers, cored and seeded

1/2 cup fresh basil

3 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast

1.5 Tbsp Sesame seeds

2 Tbsp Hemp seeds (I didn't have any soI used flaz seeds)

2 Tbsp Hemp oil (I used olive oil)

Sea salt to taste.

Blend all in food processor.

I thought the pizza was good, but bland. Needs more spice in the crust for sure and the crust needs to be crustier!! The veggies were delicious! I may add cilantro next time for more flavor there as well!

I am on a War Path!!

I know I know, its been awhile. Don't get all Agro on me though, I have let a lot slip through the cracks!

As usual I have food on the mind. I could spin a yarn about Meat every meal while racing in Costa Rica. Meat drenched in red sauce or white sauce or fried to a crisp. But I will spare you the gory details. Let's just say I did not eat meat for over a week once I returned.

The War Path I am blazing today is against my students and coworkers! OVer the past few days, I went on covert missions around campus with my trusty iPhone snapping pics of the HORRID things I found...

The kids actually see me coming at lunch time and hide their food because they KNOW they are out of line!! Naughty!!!


Plate of cookies given to students for turning some paperwork in on time. LAME.

Morning romantic snack had between a cute couple. Shared bagel, chocolate milk, and possibly some Mono...

Someone "gave it to me I swear....!!!"

Front office...8:15am....breakfast. Sick...

A hot pocket on the desk top...

Spaghetti and parm and butter...and the largest portion I have seen...school lunches are interesting...

The Music Department always rewards a performance with ice cream or donuts or...

More junk in front office...

And the classic chili fries from some horrible fast food place...

So these are some of the things that trouble me...I know it is not the end of the world, but when I rifle through a kids lunch pail or peak into a coworkers office at lunch, I am more often than not, stunned. Nobody eats anything that grew!! Nobody hand prepares things anymore! Most of the food comes out of cardboard boxes and probably tastes like it too!

So one of my MANY missions in life is to introduce them to tasty food that grew, was made from scratch, doesn't contain a ton of man-made fillers, and will help them live longer! But this task is SOOO daunting...

Out of supplies?

If you think you have nothing to eat, you are probably wrong.

Dig through the refrigerator and find all your half used bell peppers, onions, cilantro, tomatoes, any type of Veggie! Chop them up and throw them in a wok or sauce pan, add a dash of olive oil and grill them up!

This time I added Tofu - I was raised vegetarian, so I don't use too much meat...but you could add chicken or whatever is left over that MUST be used!!

The options are endless and always delicious! Usually the vegetables add sauce of their own, so it ends up being super clean!

Cook up some polenta or quinoa or just have it as one big dish! Excellent, and nutritious!!

Always back to Breakfast

The other day, Allison posted a status on Facebook inquiring what people eat the night before a race. I didn't answer, but, I usually vier towards breakfast. Or mexican food...

Saturday morning i busted out my favorite mix! I love pancakes, but the goodies that go on top usually ruin me, as do all the empty carbs!!

I have "created" quite the whopper though.

Buckwheat pancakes!!
Follow the instructions on the box (i usually use soy/almond milk and two egg whites, no yokes), then add:

Extra water
Flax Seed Meal
Wheat Germ
Cinnamon
Some crushed rolled oats
If you need it....one scoop protein powder. I added this the morning of the race...

So delicious! and light and fluffy! The extra ones i threw in my cooler for a post race snack with yogurt!

For the topping, i opened the refrigerator to see what i could find!
Strawberries
Blueberries
Black berries

I threw a handful of each in a bowl, added about 1/2 cup water and some agave nectar!
Put it in the microwave for 3 minutes and you have the BEST fruit compote for your topping!! (Trust me, from working at a Bed and Breakfast...this stuff can be REALLY full of sugar and naughty stuff!)
It only took me about 15 minutes to make all of it start to finish!! YUM!